äh
/ɛː/
To say er in German, use äh.
äh is the sound Germans make when they hesitate or search for a word.
Meaning: hesitating in speech (intj)
Which one should you use?
Ähm is a longer version with the same use, like um in English.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /ɛː/, a long open e sound.
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'er' to hesitate, a German speaker saying 'er' without a pause might actually be saying 'he', as 'er' is the third-person singular masculine pronoun.
- German has a specific term for these filler words, Füllwörter, which describes sounds or words that provide no semantic meaning but manage the flow of conversation.
- The German term Füllwörter applies not only to sounds like äh but also to 'modal particles' such as doch or halt which add emotional flavor without changing the basic meaning of a sentence.
Examples in context
- Äh, wie benutzt man das?Er, how do you use this?Äh comes before the question, just like er in English.Tatoeba #8538044 by Yorwba, translation #8920074 by sundown
- Äh…Er…On its own, Äh… shows the speaker is lost for words.Tatoeba #11897381 by Kuyo, translation #5264713 by pititnatole
- Eine multiple Persönlichkeitsstörung ist mir lieber als … Äh, ähm. Hallo! Ich heiße Günther.I'd rather have a multiple-personality disorder than — er, umm, hello, my name is Gunter.Here Äh, ähm shows the speaker stopping and changing the subject.Tatoeba #7534715 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6582634 by Eccles17
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Lukas are trying to remember a movie title.
- LauraWie heißt dieser Film?What is this movie called?
- LukasÄh, ich weiß es gerade nicht.Uh, I don't know right now.
- LauraIst es ein Actionfilm?Is it an action movie?
- LukasÄh, ja, glaube ich.Uh, yes, I think so.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry äh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
